Ever heard that phrase untapped resources? That's what you ought to find when trying to avoid too much interference when you're in the airport. For this task we shall enlist the help of a clever device called the iStumbler.

iStumbler is the leading wireless discovery tool for Mac OS X, providing plugins for finding AirPort networks, Bluetooth devices and Bonjour services with your Mac. Release 96 updates the Bluetooth plugin to support device inquiry under Mac OS 10.4 (Tiger), allowing you to monitor all discoverable bluetooth devices, and integrate the Growl framework for notifications.

As you can see, channel six is overrun with base stations on their default channel while there was an entire spectrum left entirely unused. What you can do is set your channel to that unused spectrum, say three and restart the base station and you can go from this...

...to this.

So take the road less travelled with iStumbler to maximize the potential of your AirPort.

Download: [iStumbler 96]

Sure, you all know that the iPod is now on its fifth generation and that the Macs are now getting Intel processors. But just how well do you know the Apple products? Just when you think you know enough to make a smart decision on an Apple purchase, something comes along to let you know that there are more to Apple products than meets the eye.

If you're out to make an Apple purchase, you might want to check out Designed in California beta - an Apple reference that documents 24,298 details of 299 Jobs-era Apple products. As stated in its "About" section brags, this Apple library "aims to be more detailed, more comprehensive and more searchable than existing databases".

As Designed in California is "in no way affiliated with Apple Computer", the team admits that there may be some errors and omissions. But you can still enjoy scanning the database for the following:

• All retail Mac models available in the US featuring G3, G4, G5 and Intel processors. Xserves are included; Server versions of Power Macs are not. Certain build-to-order, education and other special models are also included, but several are not.
• All models of display introduced on or after November 10, 1997. There is some confusion about the availability of Colorsync AV models, so currently they are excluded.
• All retail models of AirPort equipment and iPod.
• The introductory price of almost all models, plus many - but by no means all - price changes.
• Events in Apple's history concerning changes to the above models. Information about other events will be added later.

Designed in California will let you compare the five generations of six iPod models and the different Macs now out in the market. Standard and even disappearing features in Apple computers are also in display. News about Apple products can also be searched in this Apple database.

Check out the Designed in California database here.

If you're living on planet Earth, regardless of whether you are a Mac fanatic or not, you most probably have heard of Boot Camp. If you haven't, well, welcome to planet Earth and let me brief you on what you've been missing.

Boot Camp lets you install and run the Windows XP operating system on Mac. This ingenious application will burn a CD with all the Mac-specific drivers for Windows - graphics, networking, audio, AirPort wireless, Bluetooth, the Eject key (on Apple keyboards), and brightness control for built-in displays. This CD will also install a Startup Disk control panel for Windows.

Now that you have knowledge on what the community has been buzzing about for a while, here's another news for you and the whole Boot Camp lookers-on as well: Apple has just released a new Boot Camp public beta installer.

Sadly, Apple did not divulge what was new in this release. If you do get to try this out, please be kind enough to share the updates with us all via the comments below.

Needed to run Boot Camp are the following:

• Mac OS X 10.4.6 or later
• Intel-based Mac
• The latest firmware update for your Intel Mac
• A genuine installation disc for Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 2, Home or Professional (no multi-disc, upgrade or Media Center versions)
• A blank recordable CD

Download: [Boot Camp public beta installer]

No, you won't be able to run Xbox 360 games on your Mac - yet. However, this little hack may be handy if your XBox and your cable modem are in separate rooms,  and you don't want to shell out $100 for a wireless adapter.

Step 1:  turn off your Xbox 360 and connect a standard ethernet crossover cable from the network port of the 360 to the ethernet port on your Mac. On the Mac, go to System Preferences>Sharing.  Click the "Internet" tab.  On the "Share your connection from..." drop-down, select AirPort. Check Built-in Ethernet on the box underneath, then press 'Start'. You will get a cautionary dialogue box; accept it. Your window should look like this:

Step 2:  Turn on your 360, go to the dahboard and navigate to the System pane. Select "Network Settings" and then "Edit Settings". Change IP settings to Manual. Back in OS X, enter Terminal and type, without quotes: "ifconfig en0". The first IP address, which is probably 192.168.2.1, is your Gateway address.  Enter this on your Xbox. For IP address, enter 192.168.2.2, and 255.255.255.0 for the Subnet Mask.

Step 3: Save your settings on your Xbox 360. It  may automatically test the new connection; ignore this, because it will fail. Go back into the settings menu and this time choose DNS Settings, making this manual as well. Next, you'll need to go back into Terminal and type in "dig" (again, without quotes) and press enter. At the bottom of the results you will find a line saying "SERVER:" (see below). The IP address following (underlined below) is your Primary DNS server, so enter that into your Xbox. Don't enter anything under Secondary DNS server.

In Network Settings on the Dashboard, select "Test Xbox Live Connection". You should now be able to connect to Xbox Live.

The Mac Mini is of course a very handy contraption and not to mention costs less than most Mac products, some may disagree but it seems like using one of these babies couldn't get any better. But actually, you now have a choice for your handy thingamajig to be even better and if you are experimental and adventurous enough, the upgrade may cost less for you.

The step-by-step procedures could be found in the website, but we can tell you some reminders before attempting to do as such. If you are going to attempt to do this, you should know how to open your Mini, if you do not know how, then I suggest you put down the screwdriver and be contented with what you got. With that settled, as soon as you open your Mini, you should pay attention to the 4 black screws in the corners, the black cable for the hard drive sensor, the flat cable for the audio module, and the Airport antenna.

Another reminder is when you have properly unmounted the motherboard from the case, pay attention to the thermal pads so as when you assemble them back again your baby won't suffer the perils of overheating. When working on your disassembled Mini, make sure that it is placed on a flat surface with a table towel since the device, especially the core duo, is very fragile. And lastly, always remember that you should do this procedure at your own Mini's risk.